frenemies
by envysparkler
Summary: AU. In another high school, they're all best friends.


**a/n:** Here's a happy Danganronpa fic for you guys out there!

 **dedication:** To friends.

 **disclaimer:** I don't own Danganronpa.

 **summary:** AU. In another high school, they're all best friends.

* * *

 _ **frenemies**_

* * *

Naegi clears his throat, suddenly self-conscious. His microphone almost slips in his sweaty grasp and he adjusts his grip before taking a deep breath and looking at Maizono.

She smiles and gives him a thumbs up.

Naegi smiles back, his nerves flitting away like the butterflies in his stomach. He watches the lines on the screen and opens his mouth, ready to sing.

He is off-key and jarring and misses half the words and Naegi is trying very hard to continue singing and not burst out laughing. The rest of his classmates have no such compunctions – even Togami is on the floor, howling.

Naegi catches Maizono's eyes – she's giggling, a dainty hand covering her mouth.

* * *

The water is cool and refreshing against her skin and Asahina twists, her feet briefly touching against the side of the swimming pool before she is off again, like a bullet in the clear water. She is calm and peace and serenity and Asahina has never felt more alive.

She loves the water – she loves the thrill that it gives her and she loves feeling on top of the world.

But her favorite part of swimming is undoubtedly teaching.

She watches Chihiro flail about in the swimming pool and moves to correct his posture, her light touches holding him afloat.

Chihiro is beet red, but he's floating on his own and Asahina considers that an achievement.

* * *

Leon shades his face from the noonday sun as he squints at the pitcher's mound. He can barely make out the hulking outline of Sakura as she twirls the bat like it's nothing.

Mukuro is winding up and Leon sees her slight hesitation but the trick isn't good enough to get past Sakura's reflexes and she hits the ball with a thunderous crack.

The ball goes sailing past the wall.

There is some good-natured grumbling about the inevitable end of their weekly baseball matches, but everyone got a chance to play and Leon's just happy that his friends understand his love of baseball.

* * *

Mondo's polishing his bike. It's a lazy Sunday afternoon and he doesn't care about class rankings or the internal squabble between Fukawa, Togami and Kirigiri. He's content where he is and he's perfectly fine spending his study time washing his bike until it gleams.

Enoshima wanders out, idly running a brush through her hair. She stops when she sees Mondo, and moves to join him, putting down her hairbrush for a scrub brush.

They chat as they clean, the gang leader and the model, Junko mentioning some interesting facts about high-end motorcycles and Mondo chiming in whenever he disagrees with her.

By the time they're done, the bike is shining like gold in the setting sun and Junko's heatedly debating the merits of higher horsepower engines.

* * *

Yamada is drawing, his fingers hurriedly sketching out the outline of long hair and sharp eyes and a mouth stretched in a thin line. The purple uniform and dainty gloves come later, shadings in the overall picture.

Kirigiri is watching him with that eerily disconcerting gaze, but Yamada doesn't let it bother him. He's used to people staring at him, for both his appearance and his personality and Kirigiri's stare is not unkind.

He's grateful that she agreed to pose for him, and when he's finished, he hurriedly draws a small sketch to hand over to her.

Yamada doesn't miss the slight upward twitch of her lips.

* * *

Fukawa is reading quietly in the library. She's lost Togami somewhere in the massive halls and doesn't feel up to searching out her white knight. She wants some quality time by herself, and a chance to gain some inspiration for a particularly tricky scene she's been writing.

Taka drops into the chair opposite her and Fukawa is about to yell at him for disturbing her, when she realizes he's quietly reading as well.

She blinks twice before continuing to read, Taka's presence a comforting deterrent to the loneliness that had begun to creep up on her.

Inside her, Syo sleeps peacefully.

* * *

Hagakure is reading out tarot cards for Mondo. The gang leader's expression twitches when Hagakure foretells a long, healthy life and he breaks out into laughter when Hagakure predicts the arrival of a pretty lady.

He jokes about Hagakure's abilities but never crosses the line into mocking.

When he's done, Hagakure offers to crystal gaze and Mondo agrees.

* * *

Chihiro tears his skirt one day and has to wear a pair of pants as he waits for Syo to fix it. To his surprise, no one cracks a joke.

Instead, Celes offers him a replacement skirt, Hagakure gives him a crystal ball and Taka glares at Mondo, who shuts up pretty fast.

Chihiro has no idea what to do with the crystal ball, but it's the thought that counts.

* * *

Mukuro smiles as she throws darts at the board. Her sister is watching her with sharp eyes but she doesn't have orders for the moment, and Mukuro enjoys her freedom for the short time it lasts.

Yamada is sketching the board and she can hear his soft curses every time she lands a bulls-eye. Naegi is watching her with wide eyes and Kirigiri is halfway to a smile.

Mukuro throws another dart and laughs when it lands in the center.

* * *

Togami narrows his eyes and taps his fingers on the arm of the opulent chair he's seated in. Fukawa is at his side, grinning maniacally at Leon, who looks terrified. He is looking up at Togami, on his knees with his hands clasped.

He's begging, and Togami shakes his head slightly. Fukawa darts forward and starts berating the boy, but she slips up and misses a line.

Togami raises an irritated eyebrow and Fukawa hastily apologizes. They have to start the scene from the beginning.

But Togami finds that he doesn't mind. He likes his role.

* * *

Maizono finds a strange sort of kinship with Kirigiri. The two girls can often be found in each other's company.

Kirigiri learns to sing from Maizono, who, in turn, learns how to braid from Kirigiri.

Maizono is the first person to whom Kirigiri shows her gloveless hands.

* * *

Celes doesn't like being called a liar. She's a gambler with a penchant for poker, but she prefers to be honest in her dealings outside cards and deals.

And outside Monopoly.

Celes gives a shark-toothed grin as Sakura wordlessly passes over some crumpled bills. Hagakure gives a cry of despair as Asahina laughs.

Queen of Lies and Monopoly should be her new title.

* * *

Sakura very rarely talks, especially about herself, which is why her surprise birthday party comes as, well, a surprise.

Honestly, she didn't even know that her classmates knew when her birthday was, but Asahina seems to have ferreted it out with considerable help from Hagakure. She knew that having her fortune read was a bad idea.

But Sakura just smiles and enjoys her cake.

* * *

Taka is the only prefect, therefore it's his responsibility to patrol the corridors at night and make sure that no one (coughNaegicoughKirigiricoughMaizono) is out of bed when they aren't supposed to be.

It's a lonely job, which is why it comes as such a surprise when Yamada comes and sits next to him on one such night.

The boy offers no explanation, but Taka takes the gift for what it is.

* * *

Kirigiri watches Naegi laugh and feels her mouth twitch. She tries to suppress the smile, but she can't help the happiness rising in her heart.

Naegi turns and looks straight at her, as if he felt her eyes on him.

She coolly raises an eyebrow, studiously ignoring the blush rising in her cheeks.

* * *

Junko smiles as Mukuro clips back her hair. They're having a school-wide sleepover, with Taka religiously acting as a guard to prevent any improper behavior. His gaze is mostly fixed in the direction of Naegi and Maizono, as are Kirigiri's.

Mondo is striking some ridiculous pose for Yamada's drawing and Leon is laughing behind them, mostly because Mondo hasn't yet realized that Yamada's omitted some things from his drawing. Namely, clothes.

Hagakure is reading Celes' palms, her long steel nails curled in his hands. She's looking inordinately fascinated by whatever he's telling her.

Asahina and Sakura are curled in a corner. The swimmer looks to be excitedly telling her a story, using wild gestures to convey her point. Sakura is nodding every so often.

Togami is attempting to hold a conversation with the clearly distracted Kirigiri. Fukawa is watching him and inching closer every time he looks the other way. Chihiro is watching the two of them and smiles before he turns and whispers something to Taka.

This distracts the prefect enough to take his gaze off of Maizono, who uses the opportunity to plant a kiss on Naegi's nose. Naegi stares at her, bewildered, as Kirigiri starts towards them with murder in her eyes, interrupting an annoyed Togami. Fukawa nearly lands in Togami's lap as Kirigiri stalks past them and Mondo finally realizes what Leon's snickers and double-edged comments are implying.

Yamada's clipboard goes flying as Mondo tackles him, and it lands on Asahina, who yelps, startled. Sakura frowns at the bump on Asahina's head and the commotion is enough to startle Celes, who jerks back, her nails slicing a long cut into Hagakure's hand.

Junko throws her head back and laughs at the utter pandemonium. There is a feeling in the back of her head, a voice that whispers _kill_ and _murder_ and _lie_ but as laughter and shrieks fill the air, that voice becomes fainter and fainter.

It finally disappears when Kirigiri yanks Naegi up and kisses him.

* * *

 **fin**

* * *

 **a/n:** Just a look at how differently things could've gone if Junko wasn't an immoral psychopath.


End file.
